Hydrogen Gas Inhalation Reduces Exercise Fatigue in Athletes
- Authors
- Gengxin Dong, Jianxin Wu, Yinglu Hong, Qian Li, Meng Liu, Guole Jiang, Dapeng Bao, Brad Manor, Junhong Zhou
- Journal
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1055/a-2318-1880
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Fatigue
- Body System
- Muscular
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen-rich gas before exercise can help reduce feelings of fatigue and improve recovery from intense workouts.
Key Finding
Inhaling hydrogen-rich gas before intense cycling exercise significantly reduced perceived fatigue and exertion while improving the body's ability to neutralize harmful free radicals (hydroxyl radicals) and clear lactate from the blood.
Summary
Researchers tested whether breathing hydrogen-rich gas before intense exercise could reduce fatigue in 24 healthy men. After inhaling either hydrogen-rich gas or regular air for 60 minutes, participants cycled at high intensity until exhaustion. Those who breathed hydrogen-rich gas reported feeling less tired, had lower perceived exertion (how hard the exercise felt), maintained better cycling performance in the final 30 seconds, and showed improved markers of oxidative stress (cellular damage from intense exercise) compared to the placebo group.
Practical Takeaway
This small human study suggests that pre-exercise hydrogen inhalation may help reduce exercise fatigue and support recovery markers, though the findings are limited to healthy young men doing high-intensity cycling. More research is needed to determine if these benefits apply to other populations, exercise types, or real-world athletic settings, and whether the effects are large enough to matter practically.
Abstract (excerpt)
AbstractHydrogen, as an antioxidant, may have the potential to mitigate fatigue and improve selected oxidative stress markers induced by strenuous exercise. This study focused on a previously unexplored approach involving pre-exercise inhalation of hydrogen-rich gas (HRG). Twenty-four healthy adult…